Middle of the lockdown blues

As of last night, my county went into lockdown. My company started working from home yesterday. My internet and cable are both down. I can access some things through my phone but it is tough workwise because I can’t access our servers and drives and not easy to review documents, drawings etc.

I have the Lockdown Blues.  So this will be a cheer everyone up writeup, mostly to myself.

Are there any positives here – I think there are a few:

  • I do appreciate my 10 second commute time from the bedroom to my little work station on the kitchen table. That’s about 2 hours a day that I can use to sleep in a little and to spend on whatever I want. Let’s see – 10 hours a week for 52 weeks for 42 years (more or less) means I’ve spent about 910 days of my life commuting. Luckily for the last 20 years, I’ve taken the bus so I do get to sit back and let someone else drive most days for a piece of that commute. Still…. this is nice.
  • I appreciate being able to take a walk with my son in the afternoon as my break. He has a number of health conditions and needs the exercise that walking the parking garage ramps. I appreciate being able to see and talk to my wife during the day rather than being apart for 10 or 11 hours every workday.
  • I am lucky that my particular type of work can be done remotely by computer and skype and cell phones. But I do worry how long this will last as projects have been cancelled already and every company we serve has seem their stock crash through the floor. I am very concerned by so many folks and businesses that are getting 0 income right now. It is very disconcerting to know they are suffering.
  • I think I took sports for granted. Now that it is basically gone I think my love for sports has grown. But maybe it has become more focused……
  • On the other hand – I do think it is good that I am able to have more time with my family and less time obsessing about teams and players and scandals and…
  • It does make me proud when times like this are occurring that the people of our land and our world do worry about each other (oh, other than toilet paper). Folks do some wonderful things. I was watching a video of some local school teachers riding in a little parade through a neighborhood proclaiming how much they love the kids and miss them. And the kids were all standing outside with signs and proclaiming their love for the teachers. Very touching.
  • I was very happy that my Xfinity guy had a two-hour window to come and fix our internet and cable instead of a four-hour window and showed up in the middle of the window rather than late. I was even happier when everything was fixed quickly. It does bother me that today we take for granted that our interface with someone who comes to work for us includes standing across the room from them and then sanitizing everything they touch.
  • I am lucky that I have another family – you folks to help carry me through this.

So, it is not all despair.

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39 responses to “Middle of the lockdown blues”

  1. Thank you, Dan. I speak for the others in saying that we consider you to be part of our families as well.

    Life is pretty much the same for me. I work part time, for the big, local sheriff’s office, still in law enforcement. I get up at 3:30 am and arrive home at 3:30 pm. Three days each week.

    The other days are spent entertaining Mrs. Sarge’s whims.

    I look forward to seeing what Dan has posted everyday and what our great friends here have to contribute. It makes my day.

    Thank you all.

    Now let’s beat this virus stuff and play ball again!

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  3. Hang in there, Dan. It’ll get better.

    It’s great that you get to have more
    family time spent together.

    Break out the old board games, play some cards together, …hearts, spades, or rummy.

    Enjoy your non-commuting life while you can. 😎

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    • AC – that was a rather brilliant dub over – funny but true.

      My neighbor has built himself a plastic face shield to wear out in public – he looks like one of the astronauts from 2001 A Space Odyssey

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  6. OK I could not wait

    Not Workin’ at the Office Blues

    Well, I had just got put in a county lockdown
    Doin’ fifteen days in my front room
    Tried to find me a government position
    But no matter how smooth I talked
    They wouldn’t listen to the fact that I was genius
    The man say, “we got all that we can use”
    Now I got them steadily depressin’, low down mind messin’
    Not working at the office blues

    Well, I should be sittin’ in an air conditioned office
    In a swivel chair
    Talkin’ some trash to the other engineers
    Sayin’, “here, now nerd, get on over here”
    Instead, I’m stuck here runnin’ these meetings on Skype
    And stayin’ home in my T-shirt and shorts
    With them steadily depressin’, low down mind messin’
    Not working at the office blues

    You know a man of my ability
    He should be leading in a conference room
    But ’til I get myself downtown I guess I’ll just have to frown
    And hold conference calls at my kitchen table
    Well, all I can do is to shake my head
    You might not believe that it’s true
    For workin’ in this 5th floor condo
    Is a man who can’t take the news
    So folks, don’t expect to see me
    At no sports bar at happy hour holding high a mug of brews
    ‘Cause I got them steadily depressin’, low down mind messin’
    Not workin’ at the office blues

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  7. Our county administrators just issued an order for all non essential business have to close at 5:00PM Friday till April 16. It may not be too bad for me because at least the golf courses are open. Hang in there Dan and others, for all this will eventually pass.

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  10. dan, as always, i appreciate your effort with the blog. i guess these strange times give us a chance to slow down and appreciate the everyday stuff we usually take for granted. everyone stay safe out there, understand that this situation will eventually lift and use your new found time while you’ve got it. at some point we will be saying, i miss that commute from the bedroom to the kitchen, i miss having the family around all day, i miss the extra time i had etc. for now lets be safe and make something good out of something bad.

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    • After a week and couple days I can see where I might adjust to this. I knew we were living too fast before but this proves it. We would have to make major changes for hourly workers, service people, medical people, all those wonderful little mom and pop cafes, all those bold young entrepreneurs willing to go day to day and week to week. Those people from all over everywhere whose food and service we love.

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      • Diane – I really feel for all the folks who serve us.
        Restaurant wise we have a couple favorite waitresses – Eileen down here at Corelii’s in Sugar Land and Hannah up at Goodson’s in Tomball and I know this is hurting these people who know us and serve us so well.
        I pray it turns around quick

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      • Dan, I think almost all of us have favorite places and people we see almost every day. There’s a Whataburger I stop at every morning — but haven’t been there for a long time because of not being able to drive. Those folks know me to the extent I got free coffee, even when that was all I was getting. But there’s independent places I like, always did admire their bravery. This is devastating. And Chris Shepherd, Houston’s restaurateur extraordinaire and de facto leader has been outspoken in asking Houston’s government and citizens for help. He so rightly pointed out how the city’s restaurant industry has always been there for Houston during disasters. This is their disaster and they need us.

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  11. Just tripped over Rob Manfred being interviewed saying it would create tremendous hardship to “cancel the 2020 baseball season.” There was apparently an opening day at home promo and MLB is teaming up to provide masks to ER/med personnel.

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  12. This:
    1. When I retired from Delta I never went back to work. I love retirement, and I’m very concerned about my friends who are still flying. The airlines are going to be slammed HARD after this horrible virus is done killing people.
    There may be a whole lot of people let go especially in the domestic routes.
    2. I have emailed Manfred several times, and my most recent one was Monday.
    I’m usually a polite lady…..but the email on Monday was NOT. I’m not saying the email I sent Monday had anything to do with his press release yesterday about the Red Sox cheating…..but I grinned when I read it. Basically I told him to get off his GOLDEN butt and release his report. He says his investigation is finished but he’s been “really busy” lately, and hasn’t had time to release it.
    When I read that….I said “where is my baseball bat”😠.
    I told him he killed our club, and we were angry and sad the Astros cheated, but if he doesn’t come down on the Red Sox, he needs to be replaced…NOW😠!
    This stay at home directive isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but cooking every night is getting on my nerves! Just joking, I don’t really mind.
    My prayer everynight is that God will destroy this deadly virus, it is my prayer every morning when I get up. Not having baseball isn’t that bad…I would gladly give up baseball if this virus would stop today, but that doesn’t appear the case.
    I continue to pray for my family, and my friends….you folks are included in my prayers. I’m glad the president declared Louisiana a disaster state, and so is Chip. He still has his three sons and a daughter in-law living there. Becky⚾

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  13. From Alyson Footer:

    This is a tremendously sad day for everyone who knew and admired Jimmy Wynn. He was such a kind man. He is shown here with Jose Cruz and Bob Watson at a ceremony a couple of years ago announcing the Bob Watson Education Center at the youth academy in Houston. Rest well, Jimmy.

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  15. Ken Rosenthal reporting:

    As part of deal between MLB and MLBPA, players will receive an $170M advance spread over two months, source tells The Athletic. Salaries will be pro-rated based on length of season.

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    • And now you can see how the Owners can teach Mafia Loan Sharks a think or two.

      Ken Rosenthal

      Owners, in view of person on players’ side, protected their downside – yielding on service time and advancing players $170M in exchange for protection against prospect of estimated $4.5B payout to players in cancelled season. Players cannot sue for full salaries as part of deal.

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  17. Almost two years ago the guy who buys rejected baby calves from ranches all over the southwest delivered one to us so the grandkids could bottle feed her and raise her. When he arrived there was one other tiny calf left in his trailer and the guy told us his buyer had changed their minds and he was stuck with the extra one.
    We took the extra one, too and when our first one didn’t make it, the second one proved to be our blessing. The kids named her Rosie.
    We all fed and cared for Rosie and last summer we put her with the herd. She is everyone’s favorite heifer.
    Yesterday I found Rosie in the woods alone and in labor. I phone my daughter in law at work and she came home for lunch and together we pulled Rosie’s first calf. It was a baby bull and our youngest granddaughter named him Oscar. My DIL is isolated at work and we are self isolating at home, but helping Rosie supercedes isolation. We did do a slimy high five, so it is what it is.
    Life has changed in so many ways in the last month, but some things don’t change and taking care of the farm goes on.

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    • There is a lot of respect here for you and your family, OP. I am more of a City Slicker than Billy Crystal. Still love that scene where he reluctantly helps Jack Palance birth the calf. Hang in there – though truthfully y’all are more used to being self reliant than most of us.

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      • Dan, I just went to the west pasture and Fancy(last year’s show heifer) was down on the ground licking her new calf. I got her up so she could do her job cleaning the little bull and then did the interface thing with my daughter in law who is at work. When I got the phone on Fancy and her calf, my DIL talked to Fancy and the new mother looked up at the phone and recognized my DIL and her voice and mooed quietly at the phone. I could not believe it.
        Fancy and Rosie got put with the herd at the same time and had their first calves one day apart.
        I am so glad that I have recovered from my medical problems and am around to be part of this. Isolation with Mrs. 1op is pretty dang nice, too.

        Liked by 3 people

  18. Dan, you and OP and as far as I can tell most on here are blessed with some kind of family, most nuclear. So there is a version of “self-reliant” you may not often think of. That’s okay, and I am truly happy for all of you that you have what you have.

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  22. OP I was reared on a farm, and watched my father and my brothers “pull” a calf.
    My sister and I watched, but we were too young to help. But I remember how exciting that day was! Of course my sister and I adopted those calves and went to the fence where the cows were, and played with them everyday. One Saturday morning we went to play with him…and he and my father were gone. Life smacked us in the mouth, as we quickly learned nothing ever stays the same.
    That calf fed a family of 7 the whole year. I would give anything to play with the little one you have, it would bring back warm memories of my childhood! Pat him on the head for us when you feed him this afternoon! Your grandchildren are blessed to be a part of that life….you are giving them a priceless education!
    It appears Texas is getting ready to get hard with this EVIL virus….it’s the gift that keeps on giving I guess. Daveb…I hope your New York people stay safe!
    Saw where all the clubs will be able to expand their rosters to 29 when (or if) baseball starts. I don’t know if it’s temporary or if they can keep 29 men for the rest of the season. Who would you folks like to see added pitcher, or position player?

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